Nursing interventions with families: a demand or an invitation to change?

While nurses are becoming more adept at the assessment of families, intervention with families is an area that requires increased attention. This paper provides a critical analysis of existing nursing literature pertaining to interventions with families who are managing a member's chronic health condition. Three orientations to nursing interventions with families (traditional, transitional and non-traditional) are proposed, based on underlying perspectives regarding objectivity and linear versus systemic thinking. These orientations are further distinguished in relation to beliefs that are reflected in the intervention literature.